WHAT IS THE BEST 9mm AMMO FOR BOTH THE RANGE AND EDC???

Police305 · 11-08-2012, 02:30

I carry Federal Premium 135 grain Hydra-shok in my G26 for EDC. For the range, i have been using Federal Champion 115 grain ammo and it has worked flawlessly (300 rounds exactly). I was just wondering what is the BEST 9mm ammo avaliable for self-defense and range because I had a bad experience with the Winchester 100 white box in the form of 2 misfires in a row!!!...the first 4 magazines went off perfectly. then 5 rounds into the 5th mag I get a "CLICK" instead of a bang! I thought to myself "no problem, just a dud". but then the very next round went "CLICK" again!!! I then field stripped my G26 just to make sure everything was fine. well everything seemed normal, so I put it back together and continued that same magazine. now here comes the weird part...after the 5th mag, i loaded those 2 "duds" (which had already been struck by the firing pin) back into the now empty mag and they actually fired!!!! so now this had me wondering if it was the rounds or my firing pin that was the problem???? The next 5 mags went off flawlessly. does anyone know why this could have happened? was it the ammo? my firing pin? The guys at the range were saying that it was due to the cheap ammo (I've heard lots of bad things about the WWB) but what are the chances of 2 misfires in a row???

**DannyR** · 11-08-2012, 03:35

Think about it. If the firing pin was bad, nearly every round would be a problem. The Winchester primers may have been seated high. Your Federal carry ammo is excellent. I suggest Federal's American Eagle for practice.

Bruce M · 11-08-2012, 05:26

My Glock 26 seems to be fine with any 9mm ammunition I have tried in it, so I tend toward whatever is least expensive for range use. My guess and some analysis by others seems to suggest that any of the "premium" offerings by the big ammunition companies such as Federal HST Gold Dot and Winchester Ranger have about the same statistical results. The 127 gr Ranger RA9TA is a popular choice locally.

I have had good luck with these folks for bulk amounts http://georgia-arms.com/index.aspx

SCmasterblaster · 11-08-2012, 06:25

Federal 9BP for the range and Federal 9BPLE for carry. 115gr JHP std pressure and +p+.

SJ 40 · 11-08-2012, 06:52

I just stay away from anything labeled winchester be it rimfire,center fire or components.
Federal,CCI/Speer,Remington,I have yet to have any problems with. SJ 40

TTex · 11-08-2012, 07:00

If you have a ton of rounds through the gun you might want to look into a new firing pin spring. I wouldnt think they cost very much. Probably the ammo though.

Sgt.K · 11-08-2012, 09:26

Did you compare the firing pin strikes on the 2 misfires with fired cases? That would have been the best way to tell if it was a light strike or ammo problem.

To answer your thread title I would have to say the best for both would be your EDC ammo. Now if you mean what for each, this is what I do. I carry Speer 9mm 124 +p, for the range/match practice I use NATO and for competition I use the Federal 115 as it has a milder recoil.

I switched to the Speer as EDC at the first of the year and I could definitely tell the difference in felt recoil against the lower powered range ammo (wwb/wolf/etc.). That is when I went to NATO exclusively for practice/matches, as I like to practice with ammo that replicates my EDC. I picked up some of the Federal 115 just recently to use at my first GSSF match and that is when I notice how much difference in recoil there is. So I decided that I would still use the more expensive ammo to practice with but I would use the lighter recoiling for my regular matches.

These are, of course, just my observations and as always, YMMV.

Kentguy · 11-08-2012, 12:29

Police305,

I agree with DannyR... "Think about it. If the firing pin was bad, nearly every round would be a problem."

I run Hornady 124g XTP HP in my G26 for EDC. If you are not reloading your own - I would suggest using Federal American eagle 124g JHP or even just FMJ rounds for general range practice with your G26.

The only other advise I would offer is to try to stay consistent with the grain bullet to keep the "feel" of you EDC loads. Not much good in practicing with a very light load and then carrying a very heavy load... two different animals.

Just my 2 cents.

CanyonMan · 11-08-2012, 12:51

Well, I don't carry a 9mm. Own 'em yes, carry them , very rare. If I do i use one of three bullets. Speer GD 124gr+P,
Or 147gr WW bonded (over 18" pen in 'gel' fwiw), or my own hand loads of a 147gr XTP at 1100fps.

Unless you hanload, it's going to be very expensive to get in alot of real quality range time for yourself and shoot a good deal of rds that your also going to carry. Find what your going to carry, and use the same weight FMJ to practice with.

I'm sure there are others out there like Black Hills, etc, but these are the 3, I have come up with, that are good 'for me', if I were to carry the 9mm.

Beside my Guns don't seem to like anything under 124gr for accuracy, and do very well with 147gr. I do not like subsonic much, except for the WW offering at over 18" pen, so i use those, or, i load my own 147's XTP's at 1100fps. Plenty of penetration, and in my gun very very accurate.

My .2

CanyonMan

unit1069 · 11-08-2012, 14:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by SCmasterblaster

Federal 9BP for the range and Federal 9BPLE for carry. 115gr JHP std pressure and +p+.

When I first saw this thread I thought the OP was asking opinions on one ammo that would satisfy both range and CCW requirements.

My pick on a single round question would be the 9BPLE as it's current cost is much lower than other proven premium JHP self-defense rounds.

My second pick would be the standard pressure Federal Classic 124-grain JHP overrun that used to be around that is in fact the HST round in a brass casing. I never saw it locally or online myself but will jump on it if I ever do.

257 roberts · 11-08-2012, 17:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by unit1069

When I first saw this thread I thought the OP was asking opinions on one ammo that would satisfy both range and CCW requirements.

My pick on a single round question would be the 9BPLE as it's current cost is much lower than other proven premium JHP self-defense rounds.

My second pick would be the standard pressure Federal Classic 124-grain JHP overrun that used to be around that is in fact the HST round in a brass casing. I never saw it locally or online myself but will jump on it if I ever do.

9BPLE is good ammo!!!